Sacramento daily record-union., 1887-08-10
RIFLING THE MAILS.
Tho Trial of Foung Kennedy at San
Francisco.

| Ihe Triai Oh sounS kennedy at Sal
| Francisco.
Yesterday, before Judge Hoffman. in th
| United States District Court, at San Fran
cisco, the trial of Ed. j. Kennedy, tn,
youth accused of rifiing letters in the Post
Office in this city, was commenced A jur,
of twelve men were sworn in to try tn,
case. General John T. Carey, the prosecut
ing attorney, outlined the case, and stated
all the points he expected to prove. The
defendant is represented by McElrath &
| Davidson.
The first witness placed upon the stand
was w. S. Leake. Deputy Postmaster in
| the Sacramento office. He said he had
held that position since October 30, 1886
He knew the defendant, Kennedy. He
was a special-delivery clerk he held that
position until October %, 1886 his duty
was to deliver letters bearing special-deliv-
cry stamps, Immediately upon their arrival;
he at times also assisted in stamping let
ters George Rider was distributing clerk.
and George Miller, assistant. Witness de-
scribed the opening of mails the stamping
and distributing OF letters and the duties of
| the various employees. The special-deliv-
ely boy was forbidden TO open the private
| boxes for the benefit of those who came to
the office without their keys or for deliv-
ering letters from them. Several com.
plants came in regarding the tardy de-
| livery of letters bearing the special-delivery
stamp. In one instance he marked the de-
livery book, indicating the delivery of a
letter at P. NJ, when in reality it was de-
liyered late in the afternoon. Witness gave
names and dates. He found secreted in a
back room large number of letters bear
-, 41>A G. onto Of
ber 18th.
The Postal Inspector at San Francisco
went up and made an Investigation, and
advised what course to pursue. Between
IL and O'Clock one day early in January
witness called the lad into the office and
told him of the discovery in the store-room.
He recounted the postal delivery letter mat
ter, and told Kennedy he believed him
guilty. Kennedy Immediately admitted his
guilt, and said that in the crime he
was assisted by no one... did not tell him,
in order to secure a confession, he should
have immunity from prosecution. | did
not tell him that he would not be pun
ished if he told it all. / told him he had
been treated kindly, and he owed it to the
Postmaster and other employees to make a
clean statement. He asked the better way
to do it, and l suggested that he put it in
writing to the Postmaster and he did So
Kennedy's confession was published some
time since in the RECORD MON.
The confession was attested by w. S.
Leake and NJ. McManus. He was off red
no inducement to make the confession:
there was no threats or ill-feeling exhibited
on either side. 1t was simply an appeal to
his honor. We wanted TO know the guilty
party, and also to acertain if he was the
only one connected with the matter Wit
M 1a6 0f
finding of the letters, describing them with
great minuteness.
The letters, four of them, were put in
evidence. They were dated at Fall River,
Shasta, Goshen and Visalia Three of
them contained postal orders and the others
two-cent postage stamps. Ali were ad-
dressed to the firm of Weinstock & Lubin,
Sacramento, and contained orders for
goods.
General Carey read the contents of the
letters to the jury.
Twenty seven of the letters remained un-
opened. They were distracted on the 18th
OF October The defendant got in trouble
about special delivery letter on the 18th,
the day following, and it was presumed by
the witness that this precluded defendants
opening the remainder at later date.
A juryman asked witness how he ac-
counted for the fact that nothing was alb
stracted from the letters opened. He ex-
planned that the postal orders could only
be drawn by the parties addressed. and that
it would be hardly possible that he could
dispose of the postage stamps without ex-
citing suspicion.
On cross-examination witness was asked
if it was not customary on SUNDAYS fer
employees to go to baseball games and leave
the stamping of letters received to the spe-
cial delivery boys and other subordinates
in the office, and if this was not true Octo-
Der II, 1886. Witness replied that it was
not, and that Messrs. Rider and Miller,
the employees, whose duty it was
to perform that service, were both
on duty upon that day. He
said that there had been no irregulari-
ties in the Office since Kennedy was dis
charged that he knew of. On being asked
about a shortage in the accounts of Mr..
Stafford, in the Office, he said it had been
rumored that he was short some S217.
How ever, Mr.. Stafford found the required
amount in the safe; there had been con
mingling of two funds, which should have
been kept separate. He was asked what he
knew about Ed Martins complaint against
the office. He said that his attention had
been called to that by an article in the Bee
MIR. Martin procured an order to send to
his son at Maxwell. The day. he
bought II, II was TOO late 10 &C on the tram
but left the next morning and was deliv-
cred the same afternoon. 1t was bought
one afternoon and delivered at its destina-
ton the next afternoon.
He was asked what he knew about John
A. Sheehans complaint. Witness said that
Sheehan claimed to have inclosed some
currency in an envelope, which he dropped
in one of the street mail boxes. 1t twas
said TO have been addressed Jessie Francis,
room %, Arcade building. They had
traced this letter but were unable to find it.
1t may have been showed under her door
at the lodging-house and fallen into other
hands.
He was asked about the loss of Mrs.
Hoppe, of Washington. She claimed to
have lost three postal notes, amounting to
$40. They were of the following denomi-
nations: So 33, So SO and So a. They had
her make an affidavit setting forth that she
bought them on or about April II, 1886
Witness then explained that all postal
notes were made out with stubs. Those
stubs for the months of April and May
| were critically examined and he was ready
| to testify under oath that no postal orders
of these denominations were issued from
that Office during those months.
Mr.. Leake was still on the stand when
the Court adjourned to II A. NJ. to-day.